It is truly an honour to be an alumnus of BSc (Hons) Information Systems. One word to describe the three years in this programme is ‘thrilling’. From the knowledge and skills acquired to the countless opportunities beyond the lecture hall, one will always be fascinated and passionate about the rapid digital field evolvement especially in the age of Big Data. A particularly intriguing concept is how a single raw data can give such a meaningful piece of information when analysed correctly.  

There is still a growing demand from organisations recognising the role of data in gaining insights and having analytical skills to make informed decisions that can drive organisational success. That has been one of the reasons why the author decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Information Systems with a scholarship under The Star Education Fund. 

The author graduated with a Second-Class Upper Division and subsequently landed a job with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as an IT Risk Assurance Associate. The programme was imperative for equipping her with the proficiency that is expected in a real-life work setting as well as an analytical mind. This programme has also equipped the author with the skills needed to become a data analyst. One of the notable subjects that sparked even more interest was an elective module, Analytics Engineering which helped to understand how insights are a great advantage to businesses to improve customer experiences as well as revenue. 

During her final year, the author was given an opportunity to contribute to a project from the University of Oxford (Oxford Covid-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT)) where they collect information on policy measures the different governments have taken to tackle COVID-19. Not only was the author able to contribute to a current world affair with a prestigious institution, but it also broadened her network with individuals from around the world. The involvement with this project also allowed the author to take her final year Capstone Project to a new level where she conducted data analytics research on “Perceptions of Malaysians towards the Government’s COVID-19 Measures”, analysing the level of acceptance for the measures and factors that might affect an individual’s perception. 

 With the theoretical understanding of how important information is in an organisation from the core modules, the author took elective modules that were more skewed towards the data and analytics pathway. This provided the rationale for why the programme was pursued in the first place.